Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Monster Finger Puppets Craft How To

These little guys are so cute, and for the size, they have a lot of character. Here is your chance to learn about making my monster finger puppets, so pay attention :)

Here is what you will need:

1. Body material (felt, fleece or fur) If you use fur, the selvage edge is perfect for the bottom as it's hard to hem up fur so it doesn't pull out.

2. Felt circles and half moons for eyes, and felt or fleece cutouts for horns.

3. A bit of stuffing for horns. About 5-6 peasized balls per horn is perfect.

4. Embroidery floss and thread.

First, make the horns. Fold them in half and use a blanket stitch to close it. I took the embroidery floss in half, because the whole floss is too thick for these little horns. Start sewing at the bottom of the horn, and when you get to the top, tighten the last stitch and thread it through back to the bottom, to tie it with the bottom thread. Lightly stuff each horn with about 6 peasized balls of fiberfill, using the ball tip of a pin to stuff it down. Lightly bend the horn to make it more of a curved horn shape.

Next, sew on your eyes and a goofy smile with your black embroidery floss. Sew the horns to the top of the face like the picture. For the hair, sew a couple of loops and tie in the back. When you sew the puppet shut, it will make the loops not able to be pulled out.

Now that your little guy is mostly done, pin his backside to the front (inside out of course), and sew shut, making sure to sew the horns and hair into the top seam. Leave the bottom open and trim excess fur so you will have a clean interior for a comfortable finger fit.

Turn your little finger puppet inside out and give him or her a name. They remind me a bit of the 70's show Sigmund the Seamonster.

On my larger mosters, I do a fair amount of glueing and not so friendly child safe parts (like buttons and beads and such). But I sewed all of these because they are gifts for a toddler, and I wanted them to be extra safe.

If your little monsters are a bit older and out of the chewing stage, glue all you want!

Oh, and I "did" add an other option... but I accidently backclicked when I was making the poll, and I forgot to add it back in! I will be more careful in the future :)

Wow! You've got a great blog here! You might be interested in stopping by my site sometime. I host a link-up party on Tuesdays called Tot Tuesdays where you can link up crafts, activities, recipes, tips and anything else for toddlers. I'd love it if you'd stop by: